“Come to us! Look, King Nitomahan comes! He declared this festival for us. We moved here to this pleasant place, and none are unwell much, now.”

Jo’s brown eyes went past wide and her eyebrows flew up! “What should I do? Should I bow? I’ll mess it up! Ella!”

“Don’t get scared! Do what I do.” I got up and gave a Zheien bow. I often practiced ballet in my room for exercise. Now I was happy I did, ‘cause I got them to do it with me. We all gave a bow, not low enough, but I was scared to let them go any lower. So nice not to have pains in my knees and ankles!

He bowed to them. “O, such beautiful customs! Come to me, Sae!” He included me in his hug. Gave a sad look at sleeping Farley. “He sleeps well, Kono, is he well?”

Kono smiled, big. “He is very well! We must protect him from further injury, but he will live long life with us and his new wife.”

My family looked from me to Farley, and gasped. “Wife?” they chorused.

Karl frowned. “That wasn’t very nice, to elope! I wanted to eat wedding cake.”

Nitomahan reached for him. “Farleikon was very unwell! They had to marry quickly, for emotion rose too much for him. He is now your ba. Surely my traders can find this wedding cake you wish, and I will provide it.”

My sis giggled and waved. We had a three-tier one with Farley and I at the top, in lavender. My fave color, and close to Farley’s family color. Another wave and a piece from the top with the couple floated down to him.

“Oh, boy! Thanks!” Karl dug in.

Pieces floated to all of us. Rose stopped crying. She also had a copy of the little Farley and me. So did I, and all of us!

We enjoyed cake, and our little friends also had some. Jo’s friend giggled. “O, this is very well.” All of the kids had smiles.

Even Karl, who held the figure of Farley in his hand. Looked at sleeping Farley. “He looks like Tommy. But with blond curls, and what color are his eyes?”

“Blue,” I said. “Light when he’s happy, and dark when he’s not. His eyes change with his mood.”

“I wish my eyes could do that!”

All the Zheien got dark eyes. “Did he lose them? Ejis!”

I laughed. “King Nitomahan, we are Earthan, nae Elshar. Our eyes nae change.”

All of them got medium blue eyes. “O, then you are nae unwell? Did a healer see all of you? My diplomats needed much healing there!”

“Pas saw me and I am healthy, my liege.” I dipped my head, but kept my eyes on him.

Pas ran in. Bowed to Nitomahan. “I will see all of them for you, quickly!” He smiled and went to Rose first. “Daughter, have you pains?”

“I’m okay. No need to waste money on a doctor. I’m fine.” She looked down. So scared to cost money or offend someone.

He took her hand. Hummed and her cuticles healed. She startled. “Thanks. How do you do that?”

“O, is Zheien healing. I use my telepathy to feel for pains and try to ease them. May I touch your head?”

“My hair’s dirty.”

“Shall I run hygiene for you?”

“What’s that?”

“A light that cleans. Shall I try?”

“I will!” I ran it and white light flashed. Now, she had lavender ribbons in her blond curls.

“Oh, that’s cool!”

Sis adjusted her params and ran it. “Now you’re hair’s like you want it, and your nails.”

Rose smiled. First time in a long time! “Thanks, Sis! What should we call you, anyway?”

“I’m Ella, like our other sis.”

“But, you should have a different name. How can we tell you apart?”

“I’m not coming with y’all. I have work to do here on Earth. I’ll have Farley with me.”

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“You have to come! I need another sister! Ella’s too busy!” She really got upset, sobbing out loud and all! I’d never seen her like that!

Pas touched her head and hummed. She got calmer. “Let me see you, Daughter, then we discuss. I will ne look on your private thoughts, only on how your body feels.”

“I’m too fat! Can you help me lose weight?”

The old healer paled. “Many ask me this. We have progs that run on foods you eat. See our menus.” He waved. Food from lots of Atlanta restaurants! More popped on there, constantly. “As we collect foods, we analyze contents and make substitutes with healthier ingredients. Once a recipe is in our kitchens, we can make it. Echtu is a grain we Zheien need, and is very healthy for your species. We can substitute it wherever there is flour, barley, oats, many grains. It gives great nutrition and decreases cravings for more foods. Calories self-adjust. You may try our recipes and theirs to see if you can tell a difference, and report how you experience this.”

“Oh, that’s nice. I will.”

He got through with her quickly and started on Jo. She had a scar across the back of her wrist from Tommy. Pas hummed and erased it! Jo smiled, big. She had a lot of people reporting her to the school psychologist thinking she was suicidal. But, she was. I felt sick.

Pas heard that and paled, too. But that’s the only thing he found wrong with Jo.

Sis talked about her hygiene prog and put lavender ribbons in her straight hair, but so they would curl. That cheered her up a little.

Karl moved over and let him see him. Pas frowned. “You have mind pain. Have you this, oft?”

“Sometimes. But boys have to be tough. I just ignore it. Coach says I need to keep going.”

“I disagree. Brian had many pains that would ne be as severe if he had adequate rest!”

“Who’s Brian?”

“He is your age, and Jason--”

“Wait a min! Does Brian play basketball at Howard?”

Two boys rushed in. “Dude! Karl’s here!”

“Brian! Jason! What’re you doing here?”

“Our family’s about to go to MarKu! I’m getting a baseball diamond! Say you’ll come! You gotta be on my team!”

Karl got excited. “Mama! Daddy! Can we go?”

Rose wailed. “I thought we were going to the yellow planet! I’ll have friends, there!” The holos were gone.

“But MarKu’s gonna have a baseball diamond! I wanna go there!”

Farley sat up. “Ejis! Be calm! May we discuss this?” He looked from Karl to Rose and reached for her.

Rose let him pull her into his lap. “I’m too big to sit in your lap, Bro! This is embarrassing!”

I touched her shoulder. “Zheien do that. They get upset when anyone’s unhappy because their kids die from getting upset. Don’t worry. They don’t ever take their clothes off or do what Mama and Daddy do in the bedroom.”

“Never? Boys threaten me with that!” She sobbed, but leaned against Farley, who hugged her.

“I shall protect you, Sae! Think of it, and I show Cevit Ion.”

“You’ll get sick, Honey!” I tried to block him, but he blocked me!

“A diplomat can prepare. O, he is expelled. He is nae longer at Howard, Sae.”

“I dread tomorrow. He has lots of buddies--”

Brian took her hand. “Don’t worry. I get picked on a lot, too, but now I have a Zheien tutor. Asha’s the best! Zheien do education entirely differently. I want to be a programmer, so I’m learning the basics from Asha, then tomorrow I’ll sit with Be~saech and watch him. Karl, you have to learn to watch what you think about, ‘cause you can make Zheien sick. Asha—well, he’s gonna marry Miss Kirsch, as soon as he can get permission to visit her in that head injury place.” He sighed.

Jason looked sad. “Yeah, we were there in her classroom when Ronnie Pounds scared her off that ladder! We watch her sometimes. Pas could heal her, couldn’t you, Pas?”

“O, I wish to try! I also watch. She suffers.”

A knock startled us and a holo of a huge man came up. “Jason, Buddy! Time to go! Ship’s waitin’.”

“Okay, Dad! Gotta go. Later’s!” He high-fived Brian and Karl. “Remember, it only takes four minutes to port between any world ya decide to live on in Alb, so we can still get together. You can still be on my team, Karl! You’re the best pitcher Howard has!”

“Oh, Kell was better before he chose basketball and got hurt. He taught me everything I know.”

“Did anyone call Kell?”

Brian frowned. “We can’t tell anybody yet! The diplomats have to let Earth know they’re here. I’ll call him, when we can.”

“Okay! I’ll send lots of holos! Bye!” He ran out.

Karl and Brian talked happily for a long time. Farley showed Rose lots of choices of what to study with a Zheien tutor.

I talked with Daddy and Mama about going offplanet. Daddy chuckled. “I’m okay with leaving Earth, but your mother has so many relatives. Convincin’ them’ll be a thing.”

“Farley and I can go talk to ‘em! Who you want us to see first?” They stood, hand in hand.

Rose looked up. “Could you talk to Uncle Red and Aunt Louie? I want Bess to go with us. Middle school is absolutely killing her soul! I wish they lived closer.”

Mama smiled. “Let’s all go! My sister hates Missouri! They had a tornado hit near their house last November and she’s scared.”

Sis waved up a portal and got them to step into it with her. Another state, and they didn’t shoot up? Wow. I looked at Farley. He didn’t pale. “That portal didn’t bother you, Love?”

“O, we have nae pains in portals or even in travel! I ported here from Esta Faho.”

“Esta Faho! But that’s in Alb now!” I felt panicked!

“Nae here! Esta Faho before we moved from the 7th--”

“Oh, my gosh! Pas, did he almost die? From one galaxy to another—” My heart beat up in my throat!

“Be calm, Ella. We may, with Pirad’s new tech.”